ESPO position paper on port reception facilities

24 May 2016

Directive 2000/59/EC aims to reduce the discharges of ship-generated waste and cargo residues into the sea by improving the availability and use of dedicated reception facilities in the European ports. The directive entered into force in the Members States in 2002 and had indeed a positive contribution towards decreasing waste discharges from vessels at sea. The Commission is now in the process of revising the directive and a proposal is expected in 2017. In this position paper the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) sets out a number of remarks in relation to the ongoing review process.


ESPO promotes pro-active behaviour of port authorities in the field of environment. Waste management and ship generated waste are top priority items for the European ports as identified in consecutive ESPO surveys over the last 20 years1. In line with this, the ESPO Green Guide2 includes a chapter providing guidance on port waste management.


ESPO has been closely involved in the original drafting process of Directive 2000/59 and, together with other stakeholder organisations such as IAPH, ECSA and EuroShore, organised a series of workshops (in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2014) dedicated to finding optimal, and where possible, uniform solutions on the provision of adequate port reception facilities. Furthermore, ESPO co-chairs the subgroup on Port Reception Facilities under the umbrella of the European Sustainable Shipping Forum (ESSF).

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